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THERE have created a contemporary, refreshing and distinct look for the Library that compliments the SMU brand and strengthens the interior design concept. When giving tours, we are able to tell a story of how the design of the library is connected with the surrounding Campus Green. Visually pleasing, THERE's solution enhances the library experience for students, faculty, and staff.

Moving home is schlep enough, but having to purchase and then assemble complex furniture just adds to the dismay. Millennials are said to be the moving generation and, as it turns out, neither traditional furniture—nor DIY, blown-up-Lego furniture—matches their needs.Enter Floyd. Alex O'Dell and Kyle Hoff, the founders of Floyd, met in Detroit shortly after moving to the city in 2014. Here they teamed up with a mutual friend to transform an old auto garage into a place-based incubator in the city’s Corktown neighborhood. And so Floyd was conceived.

Floyd, which started as an Ikea-alternative furniture source, did some research and found that the average millennial stays in an apartment for nine to 12 months, before moving again. For the two founders, this was the key in understanding the urgent need for furniture adapted for the city. "We saw an absence in addressing a clear pinch-point for millennials living in cities—after all, furniture is difficult to buy, assemble, and move,"

"We both felt that the furniture industry as a whole had failed to adapt to the changing needs of people living in cities," says Hoff. "If anyone has spent their Saturday traveling out to an Ikea in the suburbs; you know what I’m talking about." And at first, capital was what fueled the company—with a Kickstarter campaign that brought in 14 times their initial goal from over 30 countries. Next up was their focus on the perfect product offering that works seamlessly with the Internet and doesn’t cost an arm or a leg. Their devotees were hungry for more.

Floyd’s intention is to involve you, the design and furniture lover, in the process as an active, gung-ho participant. For instance, as Hoff points out, "for the table, we reduced a table down to its essential parts—you receive four table legs, which gives you the ability to construct a beautiful table in a few minutes from any surface material. This ranges from a desk, to a dining table and to a coffee table." As for a bed frame, the options are to just receive a framework (filled by your imagination and design fantasies) or the platform panels for a more complete solution. But what Floyd holds as a sort of trump card, is the simplicity of it all—no fight-inducing instruction manuals, which require "language" proficiency and also, no tools necessary.

Floyd’s platform bed, which is made of wooden panels that the company says are "lighter than plywood."And then came the feedback: Customers from all over the world were, proudly, sending photos of their versions of Floyd furniture. In fact, over 30 percent of their sales are international; their biggest markets outside the U.S. are Japan, Australia, and Europe. "We could see that the brand was able to organically resonate across cultures," Hoff explains. "After all, a big priority for us was to lower the purchase barrier." And so, with a market centered in dense urban areas, the next phase will be launching a few more key products and, as before, with an easy purchase experience.But the city of Detroit forms a big part of the Floyd tale. "Motor City," known for its manufacturing, is more recently recognized for its demise and then its slow and steady rise. "We work closely with large-scale factories in the Great Lakes Region to produce our furniture," says Hoff. "Many of our manufacturers (some who have never produced furniture before) are multiple-generation, family-owned entities. And for us, we love being no more than a few hours drive from our furthest manufacturer." Detroit, with its tacit knowledge base built up over many decades, has a deep level of expertise ranging across the manufacturing spectrum, and according to Hoff, that extent of expertise is difficult to find elsewhere.

Traditional furniture companies, and even the new age highly affordable ones, are often predicated on a model of releasing huge amounts of products to keep up with "what’s hot." This, according to Hoff, leads to a convoluted offering and, worst of all, a confusing shopping experience. "We want our next steps to be purposeful and continue to keep our line focused on a minimal set of strong products," Hoff smiles.

The similarity between the designs has been flagged on social media, with furniture designer Rupert Blanchard sharing images of the Aldi version of the chairs from one of its stores in London.

Oliver Wainwright, architecture and design critic at the Guardian newspaper, defended Aldi on Twitter. "Isn't this exactly what Charles Eames would have wanted?" he tweeted. "The licensing model that sees Eames designs elevated to luxury collectibles goes utterly against everything they stood for."

He added: "If a licensed original costs £333 and a pair of copies is £39.99, I think Charles Eames would tear that license right up".

It is not the first time the global supermarket chain has offered imitations of the Eames' designs. It has also sold replicas of Mies van der Rohe and Lilly Reich's Barcelona Chair and Philippe Starck's Ghost Chair at stores in countries like Australia, where copyright law allows copies to be sold as long as they are clearly labelled as a replicas.

However, new copyright legislation will come into effect this summer, under the repeal of section 52 of the Copyright, Designs and Patent Act 1988, extending the copyright period to 70 years from the designer's death.

Super simple wood project comin’ atcha! You will need a table saw for this, but if you have that, this should take 5 minutes to put together! The lighting in my apartment leaves a lot of be desired… besides having poorly placed windows, there is no overhead lighting and I basically have no lamps in the house. My bedroom literally has no light in it. Haha! So I find myself doing my makeup sitting in front of the mirror by my door or in my car most days. This beauty dock is perfect to set on the ledge near the window in my room so I can get ready with a little natural light shining in on my face. Plus… it’s just one of the cutest mirrors ever and a little extra storage never hurts!

What you need:-Block of wood-Table saw-Various sized forstner drill bits-Drill or drill press-Round mirrorHow to make it:-Set your table saw to 25 degrees and make sure that the height of the blade is at least 1/2″ lower than the thickness of your wood. (Or you’ll cut completely through the wood and maybe chop off a finger while you’re at it… just overall not a good idea.)-Run your block of wood through the table saw upside down, leaving about 1″ of wood behind where the mirror will go.-Use various sized forstner bits to drill holes in front of where the mirror will go. Be careful not to drill too close to the slot cut for the mirror.-Put mirror in the slot. Mine fit pretty securely but you can always put some glue into the slot before adding the mirror for some extra security.

Greenpoint, a little nook of
Brooklyn, has been pegged as “up and coming” for what seems like eons.
In recent months, though, interest in this charming, industrial
neighborhood seems to have skyrocketed, with dozens of beautiful new
shops and restaurants sprouting up with welcome frequency.
One of the
latest additions to the area is Ramona, the across-the-river outpost of the popular East Village haunt, Elsa. Although
billed as “sister bars,” Elsa and Ramona are more like fraternal twins,
sharing much of the same menu items and decor elements, from a richly
appointed interior by the firm hOmEto custom artwork by local illustrator Jordan Awan.
The visual style employed by Ramona echoes many of the design
sentiments of today, functioning as an extension of the bar’s overall
ethos—quality craftsmanship takes precedence over ornament, and
beautiful materials like copper, repurposed wood and marble come to the
forefront. The overall effect is one both casual and refined, industrial
and comfortable—right at home amongst the old factories and rowhouses
of Greenpoint.

Since living in South Oceanside from 2009 through the present, the last year has marked a huge change in the area. It's always had that potential to carve out a unique niche all it's own. Places such as the Captains helm, Bull Taco and Wrench and rodent had certainly touched on the tone of the place. Almost like OB but less hippy and more pirate. Buccaneer park, The Privateer, coal fired pizzeria, you get the idea. I think the ecomony following the 2008 debacle really slowed down the progress. But things seem to be speeding up around here. Two other brewerys/pub are slated to open on Coast highway. Like what I am seeing.
Found this great little write up on the closing of a dive in South O that is being replaced by the something hopefully much much better! Can't wait, but looks like I'll have to since it's not opening until December 5, 2014, the 80th anniversary of the end of prohibition.

A South Oceanside bar with a colorful past has just closed down and a
new owner is about to breathe new life into the place with a new staff,
new name and a remodel.
Look for The Pour House to open Dec. 5, 2014. The Beach Club on the corner of Kelly Street and
South Coast Highway closed for good last week.
Long timers will remember the building back in the ‘50s that housed a
wholesale produce warehouse called The Oceanside Produce Company run by
the Spano family.
Then, in the ‘60s, a beauty salon called The Beauty Bazaar took over
the front of the building while the produce section stayed in the back.
In the early ‘70s the three Spano brothers, Mel, Anthony and Joe,
turned the salon into a saloon and dedicated the whole building to The
Brothers Three, a successful beer and burger joint.
The late Mel Spano founded the Red & White Market on Vista Way (his sons Damian and Anthony run it now).
Brother Anthony still runs the Red & White Market north and the adjacent Harbor House Cafe in North Oceanside.
When Brothers Three thrived, there were three beer joints with pool
tables in South O. There was also Andy’s Mexican food on Coast Highway
near Vista Way (now Don’s Country Kitchen), and there was the Embassy
Room on Coast Highway (now Pacific Coast Grill).
The story has it that the Brothers Three was a big hit right out of
the box as adult baseball teams and construction workers gobbled up the
burgers and beer.
But then the Brothers Three opted for an “upgrade,” and went with a
more expensive steak and lobster fare. The upgrade was a misfire. The
blue collared crowd wondered what happened to their bar and they went
elsewhere.
Next, in the early ‘80s came Schroder’s, named after new owner John
Schroder who also had a beer bar called The Red Vest near the Drive Ins
on Mission Avenue.
It was widely loved for its occasional outdoor authentic soul food
BBQ mission. The continental format under Schroeder’s didn’t flourish
either. The bar and grill eventually morphed into Molly Bee’s named
after the owner/operator who was a country music singer best known for
her 1952 hit “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” and as a TV sidekick on
The Pinky Lee Show and the The (Tennessee Ernie) Ford Show.
Then around 1995 the bar became Greystokes, one of two Oceanside gay
bars at the time (now there are none). It has been the Beach Club since
around 2000 until it shuttered Oct. 21.
That brings us to the Pour House. It is the concept of new owners
David and Emily Rassel. Many know David from his years working behind
the bar at Larry’s Beach Club in Oceanside and the Golden Tee in
Carlsbad.
David says after a remodel he will reopen the bar and restaurant with an entirely new staff.